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A protest in Iraq's capital Baghdad raided the parliament, and smashed windows and destroyed furniture, while others outside the building set at least one vehicle on fire in a show of solidarity with a Shiite cleric who warned he would bring down the government, media reported Saturday.
According to RT, hundreds of protesters stormed the parliament building after having gathered for a million-man march. Local authorities said no members of parliament were in the building when the incident took place as the legislators had earlier postponed a session to vote on new ministers.
Outside the parliamentary building, thousands of people were demonstrating their outrage after lawmakers failed to approve new ministers with non-partisan technocrats in a move aimed at ending corruption in the legislature, BBC reported.
Meanwhile, in the holy city of Najaf, Shiite Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who claims he wants to eradicate corruption and who is said to be behind the protests, warned he could “destroy” Iraq’s government if they refused to allow him to form a new government.
“If the nation lets me I can end the current government and form a new one without any corruption,” said Sadr.
The Shiite cleric has been pressuring Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi to announce a “government of technocrats,” while “promising you that I will not make any agreements with other politicians. I work for the benefit of the nation.”
Abadi was supposed to present five new ministers to parliament on Saturday in a measure aimed at reshuffling his government to meet demands to put an end to corruption, but the session was postponed for reasons that have not been clarified.
“All the ministers should be changed,” Sadr affirmed. “I am waiting for the nation to announce a revolution against corruption,” and at this point, warned the cleric, “the government has two choices: either reform or we will destroy it.”
During the minister-naming session, lawmakers were expected to debate which ministries would go to the Kurds, under a power-sharing agreement in Iraq, a multi-religious and multi-ethnic Arab nation.
In the meantime, in spite of a massive security operation a bomb was detonated on Saturday in the capital killing at least 20 people and injuring 18 others.
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